Cincinnati prediction based on historical data

Michigan is 206-60-1 in all games I have attended (all data is based on games I have attended unless otherwise stated)

M is 26-6 in the 2nd attended games of the season

M is 37-4 in the first attended home game of the season

M is 72-16 vs. non-conference opponents

M is 17-9 vs. teams from the state of Ohio

M is 18-3 vs. schools with their city in the university[1]

M is 2-0 vs. schools from the American Athletic Conference (5-0 against all current members)

M is 171-44-1 in Michigan Stadium
M is 118-21 vs. schools with non-human, animal based mascots

M is 133-43-1 vs. schools with mascots deemed heavier than a Wolverine[2]

M is 30-7 when the first letter of the opponent’s school name is 1 letter before the first letter of the nickname[3]

M is 28-6 with Jim Harbaugh playing a leading role on the team

M is 79-21-1 in noon starts

M is 3-0 on September 9

M is 8-2 when ranked #8

M is 149-24-1 vs. unranked opponents

M is 132-68 on artificial turf
M is 1-0 vs. Luke Fickell

M is 3-2 when facing a head coach for the first time at a second school

It's easy when you look at the numbers

M 41
C 7

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[1] For the purposes of this post I do NOT consider Notre Dame to be in Notre Dame, Indiana, but I do consider University of Miami to be in Miami, Florida.

[2] This surprises me, I would have thought a Wolverine was bigger than a Bearcat. Although they has some similar characteristics – wolverines are members of the weasel family, whereas bearcats are members of the civet family

[3] This includes the Akron Zips

Cincinnati Prediction

Bridge, University of Cincinnati

Rich Street Bridge, Columbus OH (birthplace of Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickel)

Michigan 35

Cincinnati 8

Florida prediction based on historical data

Michigan is 205-60-1 in all games I have attended (all data is based on games I have attended unless otherwise stated)

M is 36-5 in the first attended games of the season

M is 18-4 when it is actually their first game of the season

M is 71-16 vs. non-conference opponents

M is 2-0 vs. Florida

M is 4-2 vs. teams from the state of Florida

M is 6-2 vs. schools from the SEC

M is 34-16 away from Michigan Stadium
M is 9-0 the second time playing in a particular state

M is 117-21 vs. schools with non-human, animal based mascots

M is 132-43-1 vs. schools with mascots deemed heavier than a Wolverine

M is 27-6 with Jim Harbaugh playing a leading role on the team

M is 56-23 in 3:30 starts

M is 84-21-1 vs schools playing out of their time zone

M is 11-3 in the central time zone

M is 2-0 on September 2

M is 6-3 when ranked #11

M is 56-36 vs. ranked opponents

M is 7-1 vs. teams ranked #17

M is 40-19 when previous attended game was a loss

M is 131-68 on artificial turf
M is 3-2 in "Alternate Uniformzzzzzzz" (2-0 when Blue is primary; 1-2 when it is not)

It's easy when you look at the numbers

M 28
F 13

Florida Prediction

Bridge Over Green Pond, University of Florida

Higgins Street Bridge

Missoula, Montana (birthplace of Florida Coach Jim McElwain)

Michigan 29

Florida 17

Oops I forgot to post my January prediction for the 2017 season

In the past I have posted my prediction for the upcoming football season immediately after the season ended, in January.
2012 Predicted 9-5 team ended up 8-5
2013 Predicted 10-4 team ended up 7-6
2014 Predicted 9-4 team ended up 5-7
2015 Predicted 10-3 team ended up 10-3
2016 Predicted 15-0 team ended up 10-3

Overall prediction 53-16; actual record 40-24

Here goes:
Florida - W
Cincinnati - W
Air Force - W
Purdue - W
MSU - W
Indiana - W
Penn State -L
Rutgers - W
Minnesota -W
Maryland - W
Wisconsin - W
OSU - L
Outback Bowl - Auburn - W

11-2

2017 Season Prediction

Pedestrian Bridge

 University of Michigan Law School

Anthony Wayne Bridge

Toledo, OH (birthplace of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh)

Season Prediction:  9-3 (10-3 overall)

2017 College Football Hall Of Fame Voting

I voted for the first time last year. Looks like only one player and one coach I voted for made it in the class.

I'll use the same criteria this year:

1. Did they play for Michigan
2. Have I seen them play in person and the level of success they had against Michigan
3. Under recognized player I saw enough on TV or heard enough about to earn my vote
4. "Star" who is likely to get enough votes from others

Criteria 1 yields 3 deserving Wolverines.
Jumbo Elliot - dominant offensive lineman that helped return M to a OL factory
Rick Leach - The Peach - The Guts and Glue of the Maize and Blue
Charles Woodson - Heisman Trophy winner

For the second criteria - there are 16 players I saw play in person on the ballot, so once again I won't have to go past this criteria:

1. Tyrell Buckley - Great battle with Desmond Howard in 1991
2. Keith Byars - Injured much of 1985, but played against M
3. Mark Carrier - Don't remember him from the 1989 Rose Bowl
4. Kerry Collins - Losing QB in M's first trip to Happy Valley in 1993 - I missed the 1994 game in Ann Arbor
5. Robert Gallery - I always felt he was overrated at Iowa
6. Moe Gardner - Stout D lineman from Illinois - I swear jiMpossible called him out on the sideline but he claims not to remember
7. Dana Howard -Illini linebacker who I saw tie and beat M
8. Raghib Ismail - shouldn't have kicked to him once, let alone twice
9. Anthony Poindexter may have played in the Kickoff Classic in 1995
10. Antwaan Randle El - Had a last second heave to defeat M in 1999 in Bloomington fall incomplete
11. Simeon Rice - same as Dana Howard above
12. Taylor Stubblefield - Purdue receiver did not have much success vs. M
13. Aaron Taylor - DL from Notre Dame - lost to Desmond Howard in '91 and beat M in '93
14. Troy Vincent - Wisconsin DB - M had no trouble with his Badgers
15. Michael Westbrook - 1994 Colorado...
16. Lorenzo White - 1987 at MSU

Easy votes are Buckley, Ismail, Randle El, Westbrook and White. That brings me to 8 votes - so 4 more to go.
I'll go with Byars for his 1984 season, Kerry Collins for his 1994 season, Moe Gardner and Taylor Stubblefield.

For coaches there are 2 options that I saw coach against M, so they get my vote. Frank Beamer - truly deserving even though his team lost to M, and Mack Brown - probably less deserving, but he did ride Vince Young to a Rose Bowl victory over Michigan.